Toronto Mayor Rob Ford stuck up for Justin Bieber in a radio interview on Thursday, the day after the Canadian singer was charged with assault in his city.

Ford called into the Washington, D.C.-based radio show The Sports Junkies, whose hosts labeled Bieber “Canada’s worst export,” and asked them to put it all in perspective by remembering when they were Bieber’s age. “He’s a young guy, 19 years old. I wish I was as successful as he was,” Ford said, who added he’s never met the singer and is not a fan of his music.

The endorsement from Ford doesn’t carry much weight. Yesterday, Ford was accused of attempting to keep his sister’s ex-boyfriend quiet about his past drug use by having him beaten in jail. And last November, Ford admitted to smoking crack cocaine in a “drunken stupor” after long-denying reports that a video showing the act had surfaced.

Bieber turned himself in to Toronto authorities on Wednesday and was charged with allegedly assaulting a limousine driver there on Dec. 29. Bieber was jailed in Miami days earlier for, police charged, drunk driving, resisting arrest and driving with an expired license.

It was actually a bad idea to defend Justin Bieber. He's very popular with young American and Canadian fans alike due to his concerts. In fact, he's become a teen idol. However, the bad decisions he's made as of late, such as speeding and driving drunk and with a suspended license do not warrant defending. Those bad decisions need to be discouraged. He needs to learn to obey the rules when driving and to make sure he drives with an updated license. Celebrity or not, he needs to follow rules and regulations like everybody else. Otherwise, his bad-boy image will be sure to ruin his career and his life.

Mayor Ford, if you still do crack, you need to quit , and I mean permanently. Smoking crack can and will wreck your health, and I care enough not to want that to happen to you. Plus, you need to be the best person you can be.

Sorry Mayor Ford, but your defense of Bieber is not good. When I was 19 I knew right from wrong, good from bad, sensible from insane... 19 is not a good defense for this irresponsible boob! Maybe you can't determine right from wrong either.

Toronto just suffered irreversible damage. Worse than a natural disaster, terrorist attack or other physical catastrophe. Toronto has succumbed to FOBIEBERD.

This black plague like stench will forever hover over the skies of Toronto and Torontoinians for generations to come. The poor children of Toronto deserve worldwide help.

It is rumored that the Pope himself is in communication with Celine Dion to organize a benefit concert to raise funds for this plight. With the help of KD, Shatner and The Great One himself (Gretzky). It is hoped that some sort of miracle cure can be found.

Until then, keep Toronto and Torontoinians in your prayers and thoughts. Let us all hope for the best that this mega city can return from the Abyss of FOBIEBERD syndrome and once again climb high like the phoenix from that silly PTX cover song.

@leighkilsdonk -I agree with mostly all of what you said except calling Bieber a "bad-boy" is a moniker I'm sure he is trying to achieve as that is attributed to being "cool" these days with these teenagers. Look at Rihanna feeding the way, only dating her "bad-boys". Bieber wants that "bad-boy" image. He's not a 'bad-boy", he's a MISFIT that needs some good old school disciplining.

@JamesLawler And here I initially thought you were talking about the damage from that ice storm. Toronto has also been known as "the city of trees), because, one you get a few 10's of floors of the ground, you can see almost nothing but trees. However, many of those trees suffered irreversible damage due to that storm. The estimate is that it will take a century for my city's urban forest to repair itself.

Thank you for the comparison. And I said, during a call-in show, the day after that election, that he would be the worst mayor the city has or will ever see(n), and that it would take decades, at least, for Toronto to recover.